Ceres-La Salle seeks to defend title in 3rd PFF National C’ship

MANILA, Philippines – The 3rd Phl Football Federation-Smart National Club Championship comes off the wraps Monday with 10 teams headed by defending champion Ceres-La Salle FC battling it out for the coveted championship at the Panaad pitch in Bacolod City.

Ceres, which edged PSG, 1-0, to clinch last year's title, will represent the Negros Occidental Football Association and should be one of the favorites seeking to take home the top purse worth P100,000 and the distinction as the best club team in the country today.

Another fancied squad, Global FC of the Leyte Football Association should be another team to watch out for but it took it a 6-2 triumph over the Cebu Football Association a few days back to cacth the last bus to the round-of-16 of this 12-day tournament bankrolled by Smart and sanctioned by the PFF.

Global, managed by visionary and Azkals founder Dan Palami, has set out to win it all hoping to dedicate to an association whose home city was ravaged by a super typhoon that hit parts of the Visayas a few weeks back.

Also going all out for a triumph in the annual meet for the best club teams in the land are Benguet FA, Camarines Sur FA of Naga City, Bukidnon FA, Davao FA, North Cotabato FA, Zamboanga FA, Cavite FA and Palawan FA.

PFF competitions department head Cyril Dofitas said the drawing of lots was done in the team manager's technical meeting last night, or on the eve of this meet.

"We expect nothing less than exciting matches," said Dofitas.

The 10 teams, who have emerged as the best performing squads from out of the orginal 46 which was the biggest participation in three stagings, will be divided into two groups that will be drawn Sunday night during the team managers' meeting.

In the group stage, they will play a single-round robin format from which the top two squads will advance to the crossover semifinals where the No. 1 team of Group A clashes with the No. 2 squad of Group B and the No. 1 team of Group B tackles the No. 2 side of Group A in a pair of two home-and-away matches.

The semis winners will move on the finals where they will battle it out for the coveted title, the nice top prize and the distinction as the best club team in the land.

Group Stage matches are scheduled from Dec. 9 to 13, takes a one-day break, resumes with semis matches on Dec. 15 and 17, takes another one-day respite before culminating in the finals on Dec. 19 and 21.

Ceres won it last year by making it to the finals against herladed clubs like Kaya and Green Archers United-Globe among them and edging PSG in the one-match finale, 1-0, to clinch the crown.

This year, the event, which will be hosted by the Negros Occidental Football Association (NOFA), will be a wide open race.

The yearly tournament is being done by the PFF as a tool to discover potential talents from the provinces that it hopes to tap for future national teams for international meets including the Southeast Asian Games.